Apparatus for taking and distorting moving pictures



mi? amaalmws@ May 25, 1937.

l.. B. HILL 2,081,299

APPARATUS FOR TAKING AND DISTQRTING MOVING PICTURES Filed Nov@ 5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 25, 1937.

L. B. HILL 2,081,299

APPARATUS FOR TAKING AND DISTORTING MOVING PICTURES Filed Nv;l 5, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MQW MW .Patented May 25, 'i937 Zitti-,taf f AYPARAEUS FOR TAKING AND DISTURTHNG MOVING EPIC'ILURES Lari-lenig B. Eli-ii, 'anta fina, Calif. Application November 5, 1934. Serial No. '751,666

j 5 claims.

J This invention is an improvement on my prior application for United States Letters Patent on a camera, filed August 18, 1934, Sr. No. 740,471, and the principal object thereof is to provide a photographic apparatus that can be utilized in producing comic moving pictures as well as for ordinary picture-taking.

To that end I provide a photographic apparatus for taking and distorting moving pictures that is constructed to humorously distort the images with means connected thereto for increasing and decreasing the distortions while the camera is in operation. That is, by manipulating a flexible mirror the distortions of the images can be increased or decreased as may be desired by the operator as exposures are made on a moving lm.

Another object of this invention is to construct the apparatus so that there is a double reflecting means interposed between the lens and lm so that the picture will be reversed on the iilm and be right when the picture is printed.

A feature of invention is shown in connecting the back portion of a iexible mirror by a ball and socket joint with an end of a supporting screw that can he adjusted to move and hold the center portion of the mirror in focus with a lens and film, with means for bending the ends and 'side portions of the mirror more or less to distort an image.

A feature of invention is shown in making the reflector or mirror frames removable from the apparatus so the mirrors can be easily and quickly removed and replaced by other mirrors for the purpose of giving a much greater range in distorting moving pictures.

Other objects, advantages and features of in- A vention may appear from the accompanying drawings and the detailed description thereof.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention, in which:

Figure l is a semi-diagrammatic perspetive view of a photographic apparatus that is consides and edges.

having a half portion straight and the other haii' bent to distort the image.

Flg. 5 is a greatly enlarged sectional view analogous to the lower portion of the revolving mirror carrier shown in Fig. 4, showing the tongue and groove connections between the posts and frames so the frames can be removed and replaced and other frames inserted in their place.

Fig. 6 is a rear view of a modified form oi mirror frame detached from the camera, show- 10 ing the adjusting screws for supporting and bending a flexible mirror.

Fig. 7 is a front View of a slightly modied form of mirror holder for use with the revolving carrier. l5

Fig. 8 is a central vertical section as taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmental section similar to the lower portion of Fig. 3, showing a :modified form of photographic apparatus for taking M and distorting moving pictures that is constructed so it can be operated to cause consecutive dis tortion of moving pictures in a way slightly different from the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

Fig. 10 is a fragmental section as taken on line i|0 of Fig. 9, showing in more detail the means for actuating a nexible mirror with scales on a side of the frame for indicating the extent to which the mirror is bent inwardly from its 30 Fig. 11 is a fragmental section as taken on line lI-I I of Fig. 9 showing a flexible mirror supported on a center adjusting screw arranged to hold the center portion of the mirror in a prearranged position, and also showing the top and 35 face.

Fig. 14 is a view analogous to Fig. 13 with the mirror curved or bent reversely from that shown in Fig. 13.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged section as taken on line 'I5- i5 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 16 is a central longitudinal section through a modified form of photographic apparatus.

casing to which the extensions 2| and 22 of' the upper and lower drums 23 and 24 are confy nected.

Reels 25, shown by dotted lines, are arranged in the drums so that a lm can be run from the upper reel down through the film gate 26 to the reel in the lower drum that is adapted to be actuated by a crank 21. The construction and operation of the reels are well known and for that reason are not shown or described in detail.

The lower drum is mounted on an adjustable support 28 on a tripod stand 29 arranged to aid in supporting and focusing the apparatus, and as these parts are also old they are not shown or described in detail.

The casing 28 is provided with a rearward extension 38 that is cylindrical and has a carrier 3| therein that is mounted on a shaft 32 that ex- This carrier 3| is mounted on the shaft 32 so it can be revolved to move its mirrors a, b, c, d, e and f into focus with the lens l0 when so desired.

'Ihe shaft 32 has a worm gear 4| on its lower end that is in mesh with a Worm l2 on the counter shaft d3 that can be revolved in either direction by a knurled nut llt.

A star-shaped indicator is secured on the upper end of the. shaft 32 so its six arms are arranged centrally relative to the sides of the carrier and mirrors therein; and the arms are marked with the letters a, b, c, d, e and f to correspond with the mirrors of the carrier.

The pointer arms are arranged to be moved into register with a stationary pointer 85 in the casing 2i] so that the operator will know what mirror of the carrier is in focus with the lens 60, and also so he can move any of the mirrors into focus as he may desire.

The casing 20 is provided with a chamber 86 that is offset from the lens chamber ll'l and has a mirror 48 therein arranged to receive an image from a mirror on the carrier 3| and reflect the image so received to a film 49 as it passes through the fllm gate 2B. That is, an image from the lens, 40 is first projected to a mirror on the carrier, then from this mirror the image is again reflected to the mirror 48 and then reflected to the fllm 9 as described.

The flexible mirror 68 is supported at its back,

center on the inner end of a center screw 58 by a ball joint 5|; and the screw is adjustable so4 it can be moved to adjust the center portion of the mirror toward or from the illm 49 in the fllrn gate 2B to obtain a proper focus.

Also connected to the back side edges of the mirror A8 by ball and socket joints, are the adjusting screws 52 for bending the sides to form either convex or concave reflecting surfaces for distorting the image from the lens 40 before it is reflected to the illm 49; and also as best shown in' Fig. 6 there are upper and lower adjusting screws 53 for bending the upper and lower edge portions of the mirror i8 to form other convex and concave surfaces for distorting the image, as previously stated. The screws 53 are connected to the back of the mirror 48 in substantially the same way as are the screws 52. y

:'f, The screws 58, 52 and 53 are adjustably ex- J tended through a cover plate 56 that normally closes an opening into the chamber 46.

A modified form of mirror frame is shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and as seen therein the frame 55 has an open top so that a mirror 56 can be passed downward in the side grooves 51 until its bottom edge rests on the channel 58; and a clip 59 is proported by a screw 6| that has one end connectedcentrally and to the back of the mirror by a balljoint 82 and the other end of the screw is adjustably extended through a plate 83 that is slidably mounted between the wall of the extension 30. That is, the ends of the plate are provided with slots S4 into which the beads 65 of the walls of the extension are extended.

Slotted shafts 68 and 61 are arranged above and below the mirror 68 'so that its upper and lower extending portions 68 and 63 are extended into the V-shaped slots T8 so that when the shafts are reversely and slightly rotated in one direction or the other the flexible mirror will bebent to form either a convex or concave reecting surface.

The shafts are provided with crank arms 1| that are connected by a cross link l2 so they move together; and the upper shaft is provided with a knurled nut 13 for actuating it.

The shaft 86 carries a pointer 'M that is arranged over a scale l5 on the outside wall of the extension 30 so that an operator can see to what extent he is curving the flexible mirror.

The flexible mirror also has oppositely arranged slotted clips 18 that engage the side edges of extensions |68 and |69; and these clips are secured on the forward ends of the rods A'|'| that are extended through the plate 63 and have their other ends pivotally connected to the arms 18 on the shaft 19 mounted in the extension 30.

A pointer 8D is secured to the shaft I9 so it the flexible mirror to form either a convex or concave reflecting surface.

By the foregoing construction the mirror 58 can be gradually bent to distort the image from the lens 8U, or, if desired, the mirror can be suddenly bent to such a degree as to greatly distort thel image.

The flexible distorting mirror 68 is arranged to reflect an image from the lens 40 to another flexible distorting mirror 83 which, in turn, reflects the image to a. moving picture lrn 81S that is arranged to pass from the upper to the lower drum through the adjustable curved lm gate 85 that is supported in a. frame BS so the image receives consecutive distortions from the flexible mirrors 60 and 83 when projected from the lens to the film passing through the gate 85, see Fig. 9.

If desired, the body of the exible mirror 6D can be semi-elliptical, as shown by full lines as illustrated in Fig. 17.

In the modified form of camera shown in Fig. 16, the lens 40 is arranged to first reflect an irnage to the adjustable flexible distorting mirror |60 which in turn reflects the image to a mirror 81 in a removable holder 8B that is arranged to again reflect the image to a film 89 in a curved film holder 9D that is removably mounted in the frame 9i in the rear end of the chamber 46.

It is obvious that an image reflected from the lens 4i] can be humorously distorted by any of the distorting mirrors, and two or more of the distorting mirrors can be actuated together to cause a compound distortion of the image and the distortions can be made either suddenly or gradually to thereby produce startling as well as humorous effects. f

The camera and its modifications are operated as hereinbefore fully described.

I claim as my invention:

1. A photographic apparatus for use in taking Vn'rreflect the distorted image to a moving picture film passing through said gate, and means for passing a moving picture film through said gate.

2. A photographic apparatus for use in talring and distorting moving pictures including a casing, a lens in said casing, a nlm gate in said casing that is offset relative to said lens, means 3. A photographic apparatus including a cas lng, a lens therein, a flexible mirror, a center screw in said casing having an end pivotally connected to the center back portion of said mirror, said Vscrew being adjustable to move the center portion of said mirror toward or from said lens. another mirror offset from said lens that is ara ranged to receive reflections from said flexible mirror, a film gate arranged so a film therein will receive reflections from said other mirror, means for bending the ends and sides of said flexible mirror to distort an image from said lens, and other means for passing a moving picture film through said gate so an image from said lens, after being distorted by said flexible mirror, will be reflected by said other mirror to the film in said gate.

4. A photographic apparatus for taking mov ing pictures including a casing, a lens therein, a pair of rollers having V-shaped slots therein arranged oppositely to one another, a. center supporting and adjusting screw in said casing, a ilexible mirror having its upper and lower ends extending loosely into the slots in said rollers, a ball and socket joint connecting said screw with the center back portion of said mirror arranged to hold the center portion of the mirror stationary when its end portions are bent by a partial rotation of said rollers to distort an image, another mirror, a film gate, said mirrors and gate arranged so an image from said lens can be reflected to a moving picture film passing through said gate and means for actuating said rollers for the purpose specified.

5. A photographic apparatus for taking moving pictures including a casing, a lens therein, a pair of rollers having V-shaped slots arranged opposite to one another, a `center supporting and adjusting screw in said casing, a flexible mirror having its ends extended loosely into the slots in said rollers, a ball and socket joint connecting said screw with the center portion of said mirror arranged to adjust the mirror and hold its center portion stationary when its ends and side portions are being bent, another roller in said casing, a connection between said other roller and the side edges of said mirror whereby said rollers can be actuated to bend the ends and side portions of said mirror to distort an image, another mirror, a iilm gate, said mirrors and gate arranged so an image from said lens can be distorted and reflected to a moving picture iilm passing through said gate.

LANSING AB. HILL. 

